Extinct Jobs

Due to new technology many jobs are now said to be extinct, but is that true? With the rise of new technologies and a change in demand for products that we no longer use many jobs have seen a decline.

A good example of a job that has gone the way of dinosaurs is an Armorer, a person who makes armor in the middle ages. Due to a change in technology things like wearing armor have become obsolete. This goes the same for many modern day jobs that may have the same decline soon. Such as video rental store. Already major companies are going out of business and it is getting more difficult to rent a movie due to changing services providing digital copies instead.

Although I do not believe this is completely true. Armor for an example can still be bought if you search hard enough. Authentic armor is still crafted in the same fashion as it was over 2000 years ago. So the services and skills never completely disappear just reinvent them selves to serve a different niche market.

It may be that in the next hundred years we come to see jobs and services we currently enjoy slowly decline and reinvent themselves to serve a different market.

Sources:
http://matadornetwork.com/life/20-jobs-and-services-that-will-soon-be-extinct/
http://jimsheng.hubpages.com/hub/Lost-crafts-and-extinct-jobs

World Population

It wasn't long ago that the world population hit 6 billion in 1999. A few weeks ago on October 31st the world population exceeded 7 billion people.

This is an interesting to think about what this entails. Our population growth is increasing faster than we can produce resources and technology to sustain this amount of people on the planet.

We live in an area that is fortunate to have a lower population density and vast amounts of sustainable resources. However the areas that the most growth is taking place is in developing countries. That is where the labor forces is, it is increasing our worlds global interactivity and communication. Now when you call customer support you reach a call center in India. Most of your clothing and other products are made in these areas. Your closet most likely has items made in at least five or more different countries

Below shows a population graph of the world’s population over the last ten thousand years.

This gets you thinking about what might happen in our lifetimes, and if projects to ship and sell resources like water might become a reality.


Sources:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/interactive-graphics/graphic-of-the-day/8855788/Graphic-World-population-hits-7-billion.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overpopulation

Debt

Credit card debt affects many of us. Recent financial debt issues have giving me the idea to write about debt. Debt is something that affects a large majority of us and is an increasing problem for students coming out of and currently in school.


On average Canadians are graduating university with around 26,000 in student loan debt. Statistics Canada states 46 percent of Canadians have spent more then their annual income when it comes to tax time.


Student in school can have a tough time managing debt. For me I have a hard time finding enough hours in the day to get in all I need to. Between work and school I barley get out or enough time to enjoy life anymore, and It seems my debt keeps growing, yet it is meant to get better when I graduate is it not? However I have found a lot of grads do not work in the field they have their degree in. They are now working for a slightly higher wage, but working twice as hard as they were when they were in school just to pay off the debt accumulated, while still accumulating more debt. This seems to leave little time for much else as life keeps moving on with its accompanied costs.


Us in the middle class have a hard time breaking free. I do not qualify for student loans as my parents make too much money, So I have my credit card and line of credit to pay for things. It is almost more of a constraint, it dose not allow for me to get ahead. However since I live at home with my parents I am a dependent so I cannot claim support to get ahead to be able to afford much more. Interesting cycle.


We are a slave to debt and however much we are free we still seem to be constrained by it. Interesting thoughts, do any of you have thoughts on student debt and debt in general and managing it?  How has it affected you?


Sources:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/personalfinance/debt.html
http://calgary.openfile.ca/node/6416
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Credit_card_debt

How to Make Mexican/Spanish or "Red" Rice with Pepper Chicken

Today I find myself out of ideas on a blog post, so I thought I would share a recipe of my own design with you all. It is easy to make. These amounts make enough for 2 people.

Ingredients:

1 Cup white rice
2 boneless chicken breasts
Black pepper, red pepper and Cajun seasonings. Of some various pepper or seasoning mix of your liking.
1 Cup 50% less sodium chicken broth
1 Cup of water
Garlic Salt
A quarter clove of garlic
1 Large heaping spoonful of tomato paste.
Olive Oil
Oregano

A wok or large/ deep frying pan
A BBQ
Baking Dish


Preparation:

First start with the chicken as that will take longest. Have the chicken set out before to defrost or else defrost in microwave till thawed. Now with the chicken in a baking dish combine the pepper mix and roll the chicken around while seasoning till it is heavily coated in the mix.

Set that aside or start it at a very low temp on the BBQ if you are good at multitasking. Cook very slowly to maintain juices and tenderness in the chicken.

Now for the rice:

Start with soaking the bottom of the pan with a tablespoon of olive oil and roll it around to make a layer on the bottom of the pan.

Now put the pan on medium heat with the cup of rice in it, brown the rice but do not let it burn!

As the rice is browning mince the garlic very fine, then mix it in.

Once the rice is browned slightly add in the water and chicken broth.

Now turn the heat to high and mix in the tomato paste.

Salt with garlic salt to taste.

Add Oregano, about a tablespoon and a half.

Stir away all clumps.

Once it has just begun to boil, turn off the stove* and cover the pan. Do not open the pan or move to different element!
(*note: this will only work on a conventional or ceramic stove top not the gas ones, for gas stove: turn heat to simmer, cover and watch closely)

As that is sitting deal with cooking the chicken it you are unsure if it is cooked on not keep cutting it in half and checking inside to see if it is still raw. Remember however the more you cut the less juicy the chicken will be.

Overall the chicken should take 20-30 min to cook if you cook slowly, and let the rice sit for about 10 minutes. Service with chicken over the rice and enjoy!

Here is the completed dish on my table:

Peppered chicken with red rice on my table

Green Tea

Today its all about green tea which is made solely with the leaves of Camellia Sinensis. The consumption of green tea originated in China more than 4,000 years ago. Green tea is the least processed, provides the most antioxidants and has less caffiene than other teas. The antioxidant, epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) contained in the leaves, is believed to be responsible for most of the health benefits linked to green tea. EGCG has been shown to boost the imune system, suppress autoimmune disorders and increase regulatory T cells. One cup of green tea supplies 20-35 mg of EGCG.

People who regularily drink green tea potentially may have a reduced risk of developing heart disease and cancers. The extract made from green tea contains polyphenols and caffeine that stimulates fat oxidation and boosting metabolic rate by 4% without heart rate increase. Research has demostrated that the most health benefits are gained from drinking 5 - 10 cups of tea daily, but no further benefit is gained from drinking larger quantities.

Types of Green Tea produced by China and Japan:
Aracha, Bancha, Green Spiral, Kukicha, Longjing, Matcha, Mao Jian, Mecha, Chun Mee, Da Fang, Genmaicha, Liuan Leaf, Koncha, Gunpowder, Gyokuro, Hojicha, Hou Kui, Huang Shang Mao Feng, Hyson, Kabusecha, Kamairicha, Sencha, Shincha, Meng Ding Gan Lu, Tamaryokucha.

Green tea is made by steaming harvested leaves, rendering them soft and pliable. After steaming, the leaves are rolled, then spread out and dried with hot air or pan-fried in a wok until they are crisp.
To steep green tea, approximately two grams of tea per 100ml of water is used. Usually, lower-quality green teas are steeped longer and at higher temperatures, while higher-quality teas are steeped for shorter periods and at lower temperatures to produce a cup of tea that is not too bitter or astringent.

In most of Asia, green tea has been used as a traditional medicine and beverage to help in healing wounds, body temperature regulation, digestion promotion, blood sugar and bleeding control.
Over the last few decades green tea has been subjected extensive research studies to determine the extent of its health benefits. However, the levels of beneficial properties of green tea can vary drastically amongst tea products and many of the health claims are still unsubstantiated by proper medical research.


Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_tea#Steeping
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrientprofile&dbid=173
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/10/27/prweb8906301.DTL

Winning the Lottery

Today I bought a lottery ticket for the Lotto Max draw this Friday. This got me thinking, what would I do if I won the lottery and what would be my immediate reaction?

For me I think I would at first be speechless, then seeing as I most often check tickets at a gas station run around the store then outside wildly, assuming I don’t get hit by a car I most likley would give free gas to everyone currently at the station. Then take my friends for an expensive night out on the town, or rather a night out on me. In the long term however I think I would start with the few things to set me up to live well.

First I would buy a new car, or maybe two. A Lotus Exige or a new Nissan GTR. I would also finish paying off and building my current car. Then take the rest of the money designated for automotive purchases and buy everything I need to finish off my rally car build and a truck and trailer for it. As well as the rest of my equipment.

Next I would purchase a property, not a large one but with adequate space, on acreage. With a separate large garage to work on my cars in. Laughably even if I won the fifty million like the larger jackpots tend to be I would still not be able to afford property on Spanish banks in Kitsilano. I would stay in the Lower mainland area most likely.

Lastly I would pay off all my debit and invest the rest of the money in a well adjusted portfolio of investments. That way I would be secured for the future and have a way of growing my income. After all to make large sums of money, you must first have large sums of money. My goal would be to double my money and maybe even own a small company.

That is what I would do in the short term at least the first year of winning the lottery, after that I would just go with the flow of things, and where my interests and adventures take me. Since I can now afford adventures!

My question I pose to you is: What would you do if you won the lottery tomorrow? Both at the moment you find out as well as the year following.

Sources: https://www.bclc.com/app/DidYouWin/WinningNumbers/LOTTOMAX.asp

Thinking "Outside the Box", City Infrastructure Planning

High Line Park, New York

Gaetan Royer, Metro Vancouver’s new manager of metropolitan planning for regional parks and environment, voiced the idea last week that the old port man bridge be turned into a aerial park. 


This seems like a brilliant idea, who would have thought something like this could be possible? A way to recycle old infrastructure into something useful, not to mention cheaper. 



This idea dose not seem to be gaining much traction in my searches of the internet, but it is defntly likely to get us thinking outside the box about the future of green spaces in our living environment as Vancouver's population grows and becomes more dense. It has been done before in places such as New York and Paris to great success.


Something like this can change the way we communicate and interact with others around us, a space close by a dense urban area people can go to be more relaxed and get away from the concrete jungle. Instead of meeting at Starbucks imagine getting your days meetings done inside the city, overlooking the Fraser river, in a sky park as the sun sets over the water.


As the modern age continues on, a good balance in the city needs to be struck between technology and our environment, this is one way to go about it. With the increasing costs of transit and the city's push for bike lanes as alternative modes of transportation, I personally would be much more inclined to bike over the Port Mann Bridge if it was a trail through a park; rather then next to six lanes of noisy traffic traveling over 100 km/h.

Sources:


http://www.globaltvbc.com/aerial+parks+suggested+for+downtown+viaducts+old+port+mann+bridge/6442497043/story.html

http://www.vancouversun.com/Plan+revitalize+viaducts+could+breath+life+into+downtown+councillor+says/5517700/story.html

http://news.ulookubook.com/New-York%E2%80%99s-High-Line-Park-Floats-in-the-Sky-461733842425.html

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2011/08/28/bc-port-mann.html